state; after which, he sat by him until all the rest of the people had gone forth, when he said to him, What is this state in which I find thee? 'Ali the son of Bekkar answered, It hath been spread about that I am sick, and my friends have heard this report, and I have no strength to rise and walk that I might give the lie unto him who asserteth me to be ill; so I remain prostrated here as thou seest me, and my friends have come to visit me; but, O my brother, hast thou seen the slave-girl, or heard any news from her? Abu1-Hasan replied, She hath not come to me since she parted from us on the bank of the Tigris:—and he added, O my brother, beware of disgrace, and abstain from this weeping. But 'Ali the son of Bekkar said, O my brother, I have no control over myself:-and he sighed, and recited some verses, and added, I am afflicted by a calamity from which I was lately exempt, and can hope for no greater ease than death. Abu-l-Hasan said, Perhaps God will restore thee.

And he went down from him, and repaired to his shop, and opened it; and he had not long sat there when the slave-girl came, and saluted him; and he returned her salutation, and, looking at her, observed that her heart was throbbing, and that she bore an aspect of sadness. He said to her, Thou art welcome! How is Shems-en-Nahar ?— She answered, I will presently acquaint thee with her case: -and asked, How is 'Ali the son of Bekkar? Abu-l-Hasan, therefore, informed her of everything that he had experienced; and she lamented and sighed, and wondered at his case. She then said, The state of my mistress is more wonderful than that; for when ye went away, I returned with my heart throbbing on your account, scarcely believing in your escape; and on my return, I found my mistress lying prostrate in the chamber, speaking not nor answering any one. The Prince of the Faithful was sitting at her head, finding no one to acquaint him with her case, and not knowing what she suffered; and she continued in her fit until midnight, when she recovered, and the Prince of the Faithful said to her, What hath befallen thee, O Shems-en-Nahar, and what hath happened to thee this night? And when she heard the words of the Khalifeh, she kissed his feet, and answered him, O Prince of the Faithful, may God make me to be thy

ransom! A derangement of the stomach hath given me a head-ache, and excited a heat in my body, so I fell down in a fit from the violence of my suffering, and I know not what happened to me afterwards. The Khalifeh, therefore, asked her, What hast thou taken this day? And she answered, I breakfasted upon a dish that I had never eaten before. She then feigned that she had recovered strength, and called for some wine, and, having drunk it, begged the Prince of the Faithful to return to his diversion. So he resumed his seat in the chamber; and when I came to her, she asked me respecting thee and thy companion, and I informed her what I had done with you, and acquainted her with the verses which 'Ali the son of Bekkar had recited : whereupon she was silent. The Khalifeh then sat, and ordered the same female slave to sing; and she sang these two verses :

There hath been to me no pleasure in my life since your departure; and would that I knew your state since you left me!

It were fit that my tears should be of blood, when ye are weeping on account of my absence.

And when Shems-en-Nahar heard these words, she fell down again in a swoon: and I laid hold of her hand, and sprinkled some rose-water upon her face, and she recovered; upon which I said to her, O my mistress, expose not thyself and those whom thy palace containeth! By the existence of thy beloved I conjure thee to have patience!-But she replied, Can anything worse than death befall me? I desire it; for it will bring me ease.—And while we were thus conversing, a slave-girl sang these words of the poet :

But I

They said, Perhaps patience may be followed by ease.
replied, How is patience to be found since his departure?
For he made a settled compact with me, to cut the cords of patience,
at the time of his embracing me.

And as soon as she had finished, Shems-en-Nahar again fell down in a fit. The Khalifeh saw her, and, coming to her quickly, gave orders to remove the wine, and commanded each of the female slaves to return to her apartment. He then sat with her during the remainder of the night, until the morning, when he summoned the physicians, and desired them to employ means for her restoration, not knowing that

she was suffering from love and desire. I remained with her till I thought her recovered, and this it was which prevented my coming unto you before. I left with her a number of her special attendants, when she ordered me to repair to you that I might obtain news of 'Ali the son of Bekkar, and return to her.-And when Abu-l-Hasan heard her words, he wondered, and said to her, By Allah, I have acquainted thee with his whole case. Return, therefore, to thy mistress, and salute her, and exhort her to have patience, and say to her, Conceal thy secret :—and tell her that I am acquainted with her case, and know it to be one of difficulty, requiring prudent management.-And the slave-girl thanked him, and bade him farewell, and returned to her mistress.

Abu-l-Hasan then remained in his shop until the close of the day; and when the day had passed, he arose, and locked up his shop, and went to the house of 'Ali the son of Bekkar, and knocked at the door; upon which there came forth to him one of his servants, who conducted him within. -And when he went in to his friend, the latter smiled, and drew a good omen from his coming, and said to him, O Abu-l-Hasan, thou hast made me desolate by thy remaining away from me this day, and my soul is attached to thee for the rest of my life.—Abstain from these words, replied Abu1-Hasan; for, if it were possible to ransom thee, I would give my life as thy ransom. This day the slave-girl of Shems-en-Nahar came, and informed me that she had been prevented from coming before only by the Khalifeh's sitting with her mistress, and acquainted me with what had happened to her mistress.-And he related to him all that he had heard from the slave-girl; whereupon 'Ali the son of Bekkar lamented violently, and wept, and then, looking towards Abu-l-Hasan, said to him, By Allah, I conjure thee to assist me in my affliction, and tell me what plan is to be pursued; and I beg of thy goodness that thou wilt pass the night here with me, in order that I may be cheered by thy conversation. So Abu-l-Hasan complied with his desire, replying that he would stay with him that night; and they passed the night conversing together, till 'Ali the son of Bekkar, after weeping, and shedding copious tears, recited some verses, and uttered a great cry, and fell down in a swoon. Abu-l-Hasan

thought that his soul had quitted his body: and he remained in his fit until daylight came, when he recovered, and conversed again with Abu-l-Hasan; and Abu-l-Hasan continued sitting with him till near the mid-time between sunrise and noon.

He then departed from him, and repaired to his shop, and opened it; and lo, the slave-girl came and stood before him; and when he looked towards her, she made a sign of salutation to him, and he returned her greeting, and she delivered to him the salutation of her mistress, and said to him, How is 'Ali the son of Bekkar?-O slave-girl, he replied, ask not respecting his state, and the violence of desire that he suffereth; for he sleepeth not by night, nor findeth rest by day; watching hath emaciated him, and anguish hath overcome him, and he is in a condition by no means pleasing to a friend. She then said to him, My mistress saluteth thee and him, and hath written to him a letter, and she is in a state more afflicting than his; she hath intrusted to me the letter, and said, Return not to me without an answer to it, and do as I have commanded thee. -Here is the letter with me. Wilt thou, then, go with me to 'Ali the son of Bekkar, that we may receive the answer from him?-Abu-l-Hasan answered her, I hear and obey. And he locked up his shop, and, taking with him the slavegirl, repaired with her by a way different from that by which he had come, and they proceeded until they arrived at the house of 'Ali the son of Bekkar, when he stationed her at the door, and entered the house. And as soon as ‘Ali the son of Bekkar beheld him he rejoiced at his coming, and Abu-l-Hasan said to him, The cause of my coming is, that such a man hath sent to thee his slave-girl with a note conveying his salutation to thee, and hath mentioned in it that the reason of his failing to visit thee is an event that hath happened to him which excuseth him. The slave-girl is standing at the door. Wilt thou give her permission to enter? 'Ali replied, Bring her in. And Abu-l-Hasan made a sign to him that she was the slave-girl of Shemsen-Nahar; and he understood the sign; and when he beheld her, he was moved, and rejoiced, and said to her, with a sign, How is the master? May God grant him

restoration and health!-She answered, Well :-and she produced the letter, and gave it to him; and he took it and kissed it and read it, and then handed it to Abu-l-Hasan, who found written in it as follows:

This messenger will acquaint thee with my news: so be content with his tidings instead of beholding me.

Thou hast left a lover in severe affliction on thine account, and his eye is incessantly sleepless.

I suffer the pangs of patience in my trouble; for no creature can ward off the blows of destiny.

To proceed :-I have written to thee a letter without fingers, and spoken to thee without a tongue, and the complete exposition of my state is this, that I have an eye which sleeplessness never quitteth, and a heart from which solicitudes are never absent; and I am as though I had never known health or happiness, nor beheld a comely countenance, nor passed a pleasant life: I am as if my nature were made up of passion, and of the torment of excessive love and melancholy; and sickness hath become uninterrupted to me; and desire, augmented; and longing expectation, increased. I beg of God to hasten our union, that the trouble of my mind may be dispelled; and I desire that thou send me some words from thee, that I may cheer myself by them; and do thou assume a becoming patience until God give relief. And peace be on thee.

When 'Ali the son of Bekkar had read this letter from beginning to end, he said, With what hand shall I write, and with what tongue shall I complain and lament? He then drew himself up with difficulty, and sat, and took a paper in his hand, and thus wrote:

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. -Thy letter, O my mistress, hath arrived, and given ease to a soul wearied by transport and desire, and conveyed restoration to a wounded heart ulcerated by disease; and thine emaciated slave hath understood all the gracious words contained in it; and by thy head, O my mistress, I am in the state described by the poet :

The heart is contracted; and solicitude, extended; and the eye, sleepless; and the body, wearied;

And patience, cut short; and disjunction, continued; and reason, deranged; and the heart, snatched away.

VOL. II.

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